US Navy's innovative approach to recover a sunken vessel

Hello everyone and welcome back to the Fluctus channel. When a massive warship breaks down in the middle of the ocean, the situation demands an immediate and robust response to ensure the safety and security of the crew and the environment. In such situations, heavy lift semi-submersible vessels come into play to remove the ship's heaviest structures. Heavy-lift semi-submersible vessels are capable of carrying enormous floating loads, including ships, shipwrecks, oil rigs, drilling platforms, and gigantic industrial components. Early in the morning of 21 August 2017, the USS John S. McCain collided with the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Alnick MC near the Strait of Malacca. The incident occurred while the destroyer was heading to the Singapore port for a routine visit The collision resulted in a significant breach on the port side of the ship, flooding crew compartments, machinery, and communications rooms. Following the collision, the USS John S. McCain was deemed unseaworthy and needed to be transported for repairs. Given the ship's size and the severity of the damage, conventional towing was impractical. The semi-submersible heavy-lift vessel MV Treasure was the perfect choice for this operation. The loading process began with carefully positioning the MV Treasure beneath the damaged destroyer. Next, tugboats floated the 5.05-foot-long destroyer diagonally over the MV Treasure deck. Once in place, the ballast water was pumped out, gradually raising the destroyer out of the water. However, the operation was not yet complete. Throughout the journey to Yokosuka, Japan, The crew of the heavy lift vessel had to navigate carefully to avoid further stress on the damaged destroyer. Upon arrival at Yokosuka Naval Base, the reverse operation of offloading the USS John S. McCain began. The MV Treasure was again submerged, allowing the destroyer to float free and be guided to the repair dock. In March 2024, the world woke up to another terrible maritime incident. The mega container ship, Dali, collided with the Baltimore Bridge named Francis Scott Key Bridge. This event has caused serious disruption, collapsing the bridge and blocking the Fort McHenry Channel. With this critical navigational route blocked, ships could no longer navigate to and from the Port of Baltimore. The maritime community and local, state, and federal agencies alike were in a race against the clock to reopen the waterway. So when we got the call about coming down to the Key Bridge it was pretty exciting. It was something that we wanted to do. We didn't have to be asked or begged. We were chomping at the bit to get down here and we got right into work as soon as we got the call to go. First thing we did we pretty much started surveying right into the evening, right into the darkness. The incident occurred when the 984 foot long container ship lost power and rammed into one of the bridge's main trusses. In a matter of seconds, the bridge collapsed, causing the span to fall into the water and on the vessel's bow. This massive section, weighing about 300 tons, fell into the channel, creating a substantial obstruction. The priority was to clear the wreckage to revive the channel and ensure its safety and functionality. Extensive efforts in salvage and debris removal were conducted to solve the problem not only for the shipping industry, but also for the Baltimore residents who travel across the Patapsco River. The incident wasn't free of human losses. Six construction workers lost their lives when the vessel crashed into the bridge. The response team, known as the Key Bridge Response 2024 Unified Command, had to move quickly. Extra danger. That's a lot of... The first step to clearing the channel involved refloating and removing the grounded container ship. To refloat Dali, the response team had to remove containers to lighten the ship and prevent any additional damage. The plan also involved tearing down the standing bridge trusses that were blocking the ship. Once the damaged container ship was removed, the response team moved to the next step. Various agencies collaborated together to remove the entire debris from the waters. Colonel Esti Pincayson, Commander of the Baltimore District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. We completed our largest lift to date, lifting about 440 tons out of the water. That's about a fully loaded Boeing 747 worth of wreckage. The amount of effort, tremendous effort of engineering. I can't say enough about the team that made this possible. There was a tremendous amount of engineering analysis, survey, dive operations that went into making this lift possible. Breaking down the bridge wreckage into smaller, more manageable pieces was critical to the operation. Salvagers worked around the clock, facing the dual challenges of managing heavy equipment and ensuring the safety of all personnel involved. By April, significant progress had been made. Three alternate channels were opened for navigation, but much work remained. The sheer scale of the wreckage and the complexity of the salvage operations meant that reopening the channel fully would take time. MV Golden Ray capsizing is another significant maritime incident that required an extensive salvage operation. The 656-foot car carrier capsized on the 8th of September 2019 in St. Simon's Sound off And off the coast of Georgia. Shortly after departing the port of Brunswick with over 4,000 brand new vehicles, the vessel experienced a sudden loss of stability. Dramatic tilt caused the car carrier to run aground at a 90 degree angle. A series of events, including open watertight doors and fire, resulted in the vessel being deemed a total loss. Fortunately, all 24 crew members were safely rescued. Okay. So it's up to you. Yeah, you're getting over here to left. The moment that we got the call for the Golden Ray, I was actually on duty. We heard that 25 people were in the water, and that was pretty much the only information that we had. One, two, three. However, the incident blocked one of the busiest shipping routes in the region. Mountainous, partially submerged wreckage obstructed the channel for weeks. The unified command had to deal with many casualties at the same time. The next step was removing the Golden Ray wreck to free up the channel. Dotted with a lifting capacity of 6,800 tons and a powerful cutting chain, the VB-10,000 heavy lift vessel was ideal for this complex operation. The VB-10,000 cut the vessel into eight large sections, each weighing thousands of tons. The sections were then lifted and transported on a barge for further dismantling. Unified Command worked to eliminate the wreck while safeguarding lives, the environment, and commerce. Our responders have performed over 3 million man-hours. After almost two years, the final section of the Golden Ray was removed. Careful coordination between the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, our partners with the United States Coast Guard, the responsible party, TT Salvage, Wreck removal personnel stowed the final section of the Golden Ray wreck and transported it to a nearby facility for partial dismantling. There, the section was broken down into smaller, more manageable pieces. These pieces were then transloaded onto container barges and shipped to a recycling facility in Louisiana. The role of a U.S. Navy diver is incredibly diverse and crucial. They can be engineers, Medical officers or specially trained enlisted personnel who tackle everything from salvaging ships to repairing submarines underwater. Let's see how these aircraft are rescued from the deep ocean. Focusing on one of the prime examples, the Navy Divers Salvage Operation of an F/A-18 Hornet. This operation unfolded in multiple phases, with the third phase specifically aimed at recovering the fuselage of the aircraft. In the first two phases, these brave divers successfully retrieved the cockpit from the ocean depths. We're pushing the limits where our max depth right now is 189 feet and the navy tables let us out. Go to 190 feet. So this project right now that we're undertaking is the pinnacle of Navy diving right here. We have the EOD guys here giving us support. We have people from San Diego and from Hawaii. Everybody's pulling together, and we're doing a very good job. From warships stranded far from shore to container vessels blocking vital waterways and aircraft scattered across the ocean floor, modern salvage operations demand unmatched skill, teamwork, and determination. Heavy-lift semi-submersible ships, colossal crane vessels, dredgers, cutting systems, and the tireless efforts of unified commands all play a critical role in restoring safety and reopening critical maritime routes. That's the end of this video. I hope you enjoyed it. 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